Hi I am new to running and installing dockers. I found this software that I would like to run on my unraid server so I can watch ATSC 3.0 stations in Plex. Is there a template or process to build a docker in unraid that isn't available in Community Applications?

 

hdhr-ac4 Link

https://github.com/johnb-7/hdhr-ac4

 

thank you!

 

 

Edited November 26, 20241 yr by MikeMercer77

too advance for assistance. what your asking to to rebuild a plex docker container to use that github script and data... Id advise you to look at other options and ptoental plugin to handle that differenetl..

It actually uses emby to take advantage of its fork of ffmpeg that can handle AC4. it then shows up as a second HDHomerun device on your network in Plex. I'm just dumb when it comes to building and configuring dockers and I'm afraid to break anything. I might just spin up a test VM to see if I can get it working.

 

thanks

you can potential run plex as a lxc on unraid.

and use lxc to mount the plex media. this way you have less vm overhead but granular control over a linux environment like Debian to install projects like these.

a VM may be better and easier to setup device passthorugh with usb and other devices. you can do simlar with unraids vm virtio fs to pass the plex media folder into the VM.

I just don't want to give false hope with some docker coamnds to run and build this as i can't gurnatee or help in the event of an error.

From copilot

Absolutely, Dominic — let’s walk through this in a clean, practical way so you can get the hdhr-ac4 container running on Unraid 7.2.3. This project isn’t packaged as an Unraid template, so you’ll be creating a custom Docker container using the repository’s Dockerfile and runtime instructions.

Below is a detailed, step‑by‑step guide that works perfectly on Unraid.

---

🧰 How to Create an hdhr-ac4 Docker Container on Unraid 7.2.3

The GitHub repo you shared (johnb‑7/hdhr-ac4) provides a Dockerfile and instructions for running the AC‑4 transcoder for HDHomeRun streams. Unraid can build and run this container easily — you just need to set it up manually.

---

✅ Step 1 — Download the Repository to Your Unraid Server

You have two options:

Option A — Use Unraid’s built‑in terminal

1. Open Unraid Web UI

2. Go to Terminal (top-right)

3. Run:

   cd /mnt/user/appdata
   git clone https://github.com/johnb-7/hdhr-ac4.git
   

Option B — Download ZIP and upload

1. Download ZIP from GitHub

2. Extract it

3. Upload the folder to /mnt/user/appdata/hdhr-ac4

Either way, you now have the Dockerfile on your server.

---

✅ Step 2 — Build the Docker Image on Unraid

Unraid doesn’t expose a GUI for building images, but you can do it via terminal.

1. Open Terminal again

2. Navigate into the repo:

   cd /mnt/user/appdata/hdhr-ac4
   

3. Build the image:

   docker build -t hdhr-ac4 .
   

This creates a local Docker image named hdhr-ac4.

---

✅ Step 3 — Create a Custom Docker Container in Unraid

Now you’ll create the container using Unraid’s GUI.

1. Go to:

Docker tab → Add Container

2. Fill in the basic fields:

Field	Value
Name	hdhr-ac4
Repository	hdhr-ac4
Network Type	Bridge (or Host if preferred)

Since you built the image locally, “Repository: hdhr-ac4” tells Unraid to use that local image.

---

✅ Step 4 — Add Required Ports

The repo exposes port 5004 by default.

In the container settings:

Add Port:

• Container Port: 5004

• Host Port: 5004

(You can change the host port if needed.)

---

✅ Step 5 — Add Volume Mappings (Optional but Recommended)

If you want to store logs or config outside the container:

Add Path:

• Container Path: /config

• Host Path: /mnt/user/appdata/hdhr-ac4/config

---

✅ Step 6 — Add Environment Variables (If Needed)

The repo doesn’t require special variables, but if you want to customize:

Variable	Purpose
LOG_LEVEL	Set logging verbosity
PORT	Change listening port

Example:

LOG_LEVEL=info
PORT=5004

---

✅ Step 7 — Apply and Start the Container

Click Apply → Unraid will create and start the container.

You can check logs via: Docker tab → hdhr-ac4 → Logs

---

✅ Step 8 — Test the Container

The container listens for HDHomeRun AC‑4 streams and transcodes them.

A typical test URL looks like:

http://<unraid-ip>:5004/auto/v<channel-number>

Example:

http://192.168.1.10:5004/auto/v5.1

You can plug this into:

• VLC

• Plex (as a custom tuner)

• Emby/Jellyfin

• HDHomeRun apps (via custom tuner mode)

---

🧪 Optional: Auto‑Start on Boot

In the Docker tab:

• Click the container’s icon

• Enable Auto Start

---

🎉 You now have hdhr-ac4 running as a Docker container on Unraid

If you want, I can also create:

• A ready‑to‑import Unraid XML template

• A docker‑compose.yml (Unraid supports it via the Compose Manager plugin)

• A custom script to rebuild the image automatically when the repo updates

Just tell me what direction you want to go next.

??? Why resurrection of a 1 year old thread with uskes AI data ...

Didn't even give you a good docker file to build with project. Even then that running whatever the GitHub is and not that along with Plex...

There are other systems in I raid to add atsc 3 via other docker to connect and then share to stream /media systems...

If there are other or better ways to do this, please share.

The reason I resurrected this thread specifically it's what all the search engines are picking up when I was looking for a solution for myself. In my area stations are dropping their ATSC 1.0 broadcasts and consolidating to a single tower using ATSC 3.0 and I lost the ability to DVR shows in Plex on Unraid with my HDHomerun. I have been searching for a few days and have not found any other solutions that looked promising for this combination of Unraid, PLEX and HDHomerun. Since this post comes up frequently in search's, I figured other people will be coming across this post.

Anyway I am no expert on dealing with docker as just use the apps like an app store on Unraid. This was my first attempt to create a custom docker container and while it did not go perfect based on AI, AI certainly helped me get through the issues. This worked to allow me to DVR my from the ATSC 3.0 channel. My scheduled recordings automatically picked up the new channels. Plus I learned quite a bit.

Here are my notes from getting this working in a docker container on Unraid 7.2.3.

Refer to notes here:

GitHub - johnb-7/hdhr-ac4: This project aims to emulate an HDHomerun tuner that supplies ATSC 3.0 programs with AC3 audio.

 

Open terminal in Unraid UI and run the following commands to download the repository to your Unraid server

cd /mnt/user/appdata

git clone https://github.com/johnb-7/hdhr-ac4.git

 

Download the latest Emby installer from https://emby.media/linux-server.html and save it in the docker build directory.

Update the Dockerfile in the folder /mnt/user/appdata/hdhr-ac4 to point to the Emby installer by replacing the file name "emby-server-deb_4.8.0.21_amd64.deb" with the latest version of the file name.

During my install these 2 lines needed updating for the new file:

COPY emby-server-deb_4.9.3.0_amd64.deb ./

RUN ar x emby-server-deb_4.9.3.0_amd64.deb data.tar.xz && \

 

Open terminal in Unraid UI and run the following commands to build the Docker image

cd /mnt/user/appdata/hdhr-ac4

docker build -t hdhr-ac4 .

"Yes, the PERIOD above at the end of the line is required"

 

Create a custom Docker container in Unraid in the Unraid UI by going to Docker tab → Add Container

Fill in these fields:

Name = hdhr-ac4

Repository = hdhr-ac4

Network Type = Bridge

 

Add Port with these fields:

Name: App

Container Port: 5004

Host Port: 5004

 

Add Port with these fields:

Name: WebUI

Container Port: 6800 (or the port you prefer based on other apps)

Host Port: 80

 

Add Path with these fields:

Container Path: /config

Host Path: /mnt/user/appdata/hdhr-ac4/config

 

Add Variable with these fields:

Name = HDHR_IP

Key =HDHR_IP

Value = <ip of your HDHomeRun>

 

Add Variable with these fields:

Name = HOST_IP

Key = HOST_IP

Value = <ip of your unraid server>

 

Add Variable with these fields:

Name = DEVICEID_SWAP

Key = DEVICEID_SWAP

Value = <0 or 1, see dev notes>

 

Save and it should start

Check the logs

 

You can test in VLC by opening a stream and using your unraid IP and a channel in this example, my server is 192.168.4.102 and the ATSC 3.0 channel I used was 112.1

http://192.168.4.102:5004/auto/v112.1

 

In Plex add a new tuner using localhost:webui_port or unraidip:webui_port and follow the steps like you would for adding any tuner.

Comparing 2 of the files for a show that was recording, this is also going to save significantly on disk space.

Before - 33 minutes = 1,540 MB GB = 46.67 MB/min of recording

After - 91 minutes = 2,240 MB = 24.62 MB/min of recording

Not wanting to cause any issues with the other CA dockers I have running, I wound up setting up an Ubuntu VM and installing the hdhr-ac4 docker on that, and it has been working with no issues for 5+ months. The only thing I've noticed is it takes the one 3.0 channel I use it for a few seconds longer to start playing.

Edited February 6Feb 6 by MikeMercer77

https://forums.plex.tv/t/atsc3-support/902968

https://support.plex.tv/articles/225877427-supported-dvr-tuners-and-antennas/

it can be worked around. Usually with something like tv head end to see and grab the channel and then re-add it via xml playlist via xtevia or another application to stream the antenna channel into plex...

Its a big undertaking to atempt and go through. Plex really isn't the best place for that...

It also comes down to what your trying to do with the antenna. Do you just need a player? are you trying to use an over-the-air antenna to watch?
Like why intergrate into plex at all? Many side solution exsit..

@drcorso you would have been better off asking as a seperate thread then trying to resurrect another that doesn't colrate...